This weekend, Kodiak High School presents a musical version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” called “Scrooge!”

But the time contributions of the musical’s enormous body of contributors have been anything but miserly.

The production features a cast and crew of more than 100 people, which includes a small army of orchestra musicians, technicians, costumers and set designers who have been preparing for the show since September.

“We’ve been working really hard because we want to give Kodiak the perfect show,” said Trisha Bartel, who plays the Ghost of Christmas Past and is the mother of elementary school cast members Michah and Alaina.

The play’s leading roles are about evenly divided between high school students and community volunteers. Some community members include Matt Freeman — as Ebenezer Scrooge — as well as Bartel, Richard Walker and Bob Fish.

High school students featured in the play include Chaven Davidson, Ariana Fogle, Mitchell Davidson, Carolyn Craig and Karsten Schick.

Eli Griffin leads the play’s many children in the role of Tiny Tim.

Bartel said there were certain economies of scale working with three cast members in the same family. Early in the season, she brought home cast recordings of Scrooge’s musical numbers.

“My poor kids,” she said. “That’s all they heard at home and in the car.”

The family practices “Scrooge!” choreography in the living room.

Bartel established her ability to mix family and theatre before “Scrooge!” She performed in both “Annie” and “Fiddler on the Roof” while pregnant with her youngest daughter.

She was nine months pregnant and began having contractions during the “Fiddler on the Roof,” which she said makes her daughter especially suited for theatre.

“She’s a little drama queen,” Bartel said. “She’s six months old, and she already has more stage time than most people ever get in their entire lives.”

Bartel acted when she was younger, but had been away from the stage for many years when a Kodiak production of “The Wizard of Oz” inspired her to get back into acting.

“‘The Wizard of Oz’ is what we measure all shows against, and I think we may have it beat with this show,” she said.

At the least, the Dec. 5 show promises to have more special effects than “The Wizard of Oz” — although director Lissa Woodbury-Jensen is keeping most of them secret until opening night.

But the audience should expect flying actors. ZFX, the company that gave flight to monkeys in “Oz” returned to Kodiak this weekend to put some magic into “Scrooge!”

The actors with flying roles spent much of the weekend learning to wear a body harness and follow choreographed steps while being yanked around by an overhead cable.

“It’s much more difficult than I thought it would be,” said Bartel. “But it’s worth it for this production. Bring on the pain.”

Cast member Bob Fish agreed the harnesses were uncomfortable, but worth the effort. Fish faced his fear of heights to join his sons Caleb and Josiah in the play.

He plays Ebenezer Scrooge’s former business partner Jacob Marley.

“The main reason I’ve gotten involved is to be with my children,” said Fish, who also teaches math at KHS. “Getting to do the theatre is an added plus.”

In addition to doing theatre with his sons, Fish has performed with his sons, his daughter and his wife in the Kodiak Community Choir.

The music of “Scrooge!” was written by Leslie Bricusse, who also composed the music for the 1971 film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and the 1967 film “Dr. Doolittle.”

Mirror Writer Sam Friedman can be reached via e-mail at sfriedman@kodiakdailymirror.com.